The moment he passed through the main gate, the dark, gloomy sky vanished, replaced by a brilliant blue expanse.
Simon brought the golem board to a halt.
’Wh-what is all this?’
It was as if he had stepped into another world. He was standing on a high stage that stretched from the main gate to the center of the campus. Below, a sea of people roared with cheers.
"Simon! Simon! Simon!"
They were chanting his name. As he stood there, dumbfounded, a booming voice suddenly echoed from the side.
"It’s Simon Polentia, who entered as Special Admission Number One! He’s passed in first place again! Let’s welcome him to the stage!"
’YAYYYY!’
In the center of the stage, an announcer in a flashy outfit was shouting into an amplifying crystal sphere. When their eyes met, he gestured for Simon to come over.
’There weren’t this many people when I looked from outside the gate. It must have been hidden by illusion magic. As expected, this is...’
Simon’s gaze shifted to the large mana screen floating in the air, which was broadcasting the other students’ real-time battles against the Prima Materia monsters.
’It was all a test from Kizen.’
It seemed the test ended upon reaching the campus. On another mana screen, a leaderboard was displayed. In the top slot, marked with a golden number one, were Simon’s face, name, nationality, and desired major.
’Did I really arrive in first place?’
Dazzling flashes from mana cameras exploded from all directions. Simon frowned, raising an arm to shield his eyes. Beside the cameras, men in masks with black ties fluttering in the wind were scribbling furiously in their notebooks.
’Scouts, too?’
His mind had been a complete blank, but now he felt himself snapping to attention. Simon calmly straightened his tie, smoothed his uniform, and walked onto the stage where the announcer stood.
"Let’s give another huge round of applause for Simon Polentia!" the announcer boomed.
"WOOHOO!!!!"
Amidst the fervent cheers, Simon reached the center of the stage. The announcer lowered the amplifying sphere and spoke quietly. "You must be shocked. Do you need any more explanation of the situation? Would you be okay with a brief interview?"
The rapid-fire questions felt urgent. He obviously needed an explanation, but he figured he could get one off-stage.
"It’s fine," Simon replied, putting on a business smile and accepting the amplifying sphere. "I’ll answer anything I can."
"You must be startled! Are you alright?"
"I’m a bit bewildered, but yes, I’m fine!"
"First, please give us a brief introduction!"
This was his first public appearance as Kizen’s Special Admission Number One. Hundreds of eyes were fixed on him. He could not afford a single mistake.
Simon took a light breath and spoke into the sphere. "Hello. I am Simon Polentia."
Thousands of meters above Roc Island, Hector, armed with the wings and scales of a Corpse Dragon, had refused the ordinary path. He was taking the high-altitude route, soaring above the clouds.
The moment he’d realized what was happening, he’d deduced it was a Kizen test and taken to the sky. Of course, that didn’t make it easy. Kizen had released a large number of bird-shaped Prima Materia monsters into the air as well.
Deadly flashes of divinity rained down, focused solely on him. He briefly considered joining the other students on the ground, but in the end, he pushed through with the aerial route.
He couldn’t beat ‘that guy’ with ordinary methods.
With that single-minded determination, Hector dodged and fought countless flying monsters until he finally spotted the Kizen campus from high above.
’Now I just have to go down!’
He had lost too much time dodging attacks and had sacrificed a considerable number of scales. Glancing back at the monsters pursuing him, he gathered all his Jet-black and focused it into his Corpse Dragon wings.
Soon, his legs floated up, and his head pointed down. In that position, he began a super-high-speed descent toward the campus.
The rough headwind felt like it would tear his scales from his body, but Hector gladly endured it. He was certain.
’This time, I’m definitely first!’
In an instant, the Kizen campus grew closer. Seeing the transparent film of Jet-black spread over the empty grounds, Hector became even more certain. This was a Kizen test.
’The second integrated semester begins with my victory! I, the heir of the Moore family...!’
His body broke through the membrane of Jet-black and descended.
’...am the best!’
"Wooaaahhh!"
The scenery changed in a flash, and he saw countless people raising their arms and cheering. A thrilling shiver of extreme pleasure ran through his body. Hector spread his arms and roared, a cry like that of a dragon.
"While we were interviewing, student Hector Moore has arrived!" the announcer’s voice boomed.
’As expected, I’m... Huh? What did he say?’
"As expected of the Moore family, a family of unrivaled renown! Please give a round of applause for student Hector Moore, who has proudly taken second place, beating out all the formidable special admission students and monsters!"
’I’m in second place? Not first?’
"—so, returning to the interview with student Simon Polentia, who came in first place..."
Hector’s expression turned to ice. He saw Simon, already on stage, holding the amplifying crystal sphere and answering the announcer’s questions.
"AAAARGHHH!!!!"
His face contorted with rage, Hector’s roar shook the entire venue.
The interview proceeded smoothly. They asked how he’d spent his vacation, what black magic he was practicing, the most challenging part of his Kizen life, and his resolutions for the new semester. He had been worried they might ask about his past or background, but there were no difficult questions. They were all within the scope of what a student could answer.
After finishing the interview and stepping backstage, he found a woman waiting with her hands politely clasped. When their eyes met, she bowed her head first.
"Simon."
He didn’t know her name, but her face was familiar. She was the assistant teacher for Jane, the professor in charge of Class A. He’d met her during training sessions or when Jane had summoned him.
Simon also bowed his head politely in greeting. "Have you been well, TA?" He was even happier to see a familiar face here.
"I’ve been well. More importantly, I saw you rolling around pretty violently on the screen earlier. Are you hurt anywhere?"
At her words, Simon clutched his aching left arm. "This arm is a little..."
She came over and took his arm. "How about here?"
"It’s fine..."
"Here?"
"Aah! That hurts!" Simon yelped.
She nodded with a smile. "Follow me. I’ll guide you to the medical station."
"Thank—"
’Oooohh!’
Another fierce cheer erupted. They both turned their heads. It was hard to see from their position, but it seemed someone had arrived in third place. The announcer was shouting the name Chatel Maer.
"Let’s go," the assistant teacher said.
Simon followed her. She explained that this was normally a job for the minions, but because it was such a large event, the TAs were directly managing the students.
"By the way, TA," Simon began, pouring out the questions he’d been holding back, "what is all this about?"
She gave a small laugh. "Sorry. You were surprised, weren’t you? You’ll hear the details at the opening ceremony, but this is a performance evaluation for all first-years. It goes into your grades, and probably at least fifty students will be taking off their Kizen uniforms today."
Simon’s heart sank. ‘As many as fifty?’
"And this exam is being held publicly, just like the dueling evaluation that the princess of the Dresden Kingdom came to watch last time." After saying that, she glanced at Simon’s face and continued, "Of course, I understand how you feel. I experienced it when I was at Kizen, and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling. I was struggling, throwing up, and peeing my pants during the exam, and it was a bit annoying to think that an audience was watching it all."
Startled, Simon waved his hands in denial. "N-no, it’s not that bad! Kizen provided a stage for me to make my name and reputation known...!"
She just raised the corner of her lip slightly, a look that said she could see right through him. "I’m not an official or anything, just a lowly TA whose life is as insignificant as a fly’s, but I’ll apologize on behalf of the educators. This opening exam was already set in stone. The decision to make it public was made by Kizen Headquarters."
"What? Why would Headquarters suddenly..."
"To be honest, after the terrorist incident last semester, the voices of those questioning Kizen’s dominance have grown louder."
It was by no means an easy task for a single organization to rule over four kingdoms and great families like the Ivory Tower by sheer force. In that sense, Efnel was clever. They had destroyed all the existing countries and kings to create a single empire, the Holy Federation. They established religion as the core foundation of the state, placing it above the monarchy, and controlled the populace under a system of Heresy Inquisitions while blocking information.
Nephthys, on the other hand, had chosen the more difficult path of ‘harmony,’ binding the powers together under the name of an alliance. For the anti-Kizen factions that emerged in opposition, the Saintess incident had been a prime opportunity.
"Holding the exam publicly is a show of force," she explained. "It’s to show them that Kizen is still the strongest, and that the students involved in the incident are not so easily intimidated."
According to her, the audience had been left dumbfounded by the intensity of the exam Kizen initially revealed. They were making seventeen-year-old kids who hadn’t even finished their first semester face their trauma of death, fight holy monsters and actual Priests, and even throwing them onto the battlefield after disabling their Kizen uniforms. It wouldn’t have been strange if students’ cores were destroyed on the spot.
But in the end, the vast majority of students overcame their fear, fought the Priests, and were now entering the Kizen campus with all their might. The audience was greatly impressed, and the atmosphere when Simon arrived had been built on that foundation.
It seemed things were flowing according to the grand design that Headquarters had envisioned.
’...This is definitely a powerful organization. It feels like they’re playing with politics.’
He could already predict the headlines of the newspapers that would be distributed throughout the kingdom. Simon smiled to himself and cleared his mind of idle thoughts.
"But what happened to those Priests from before?"
"That will also be explained at the opening ceremony. To put it simply, they’re people who escaped from the Holy Federation and are now cooperating with Kizen. It’s easier to think of it that way."
He arrived at the emergency medical station. The assistant teacher bowed politely and left, and Simon received treatment. Fortunately, his left arm was treated quickly without even needing a splint. He was told not to strain it for two days.
After receiving his medicine, he left the medical station and walked back toward the student waiting room.
Just then, he heard the murmuring of the crowd. Simon’s gaze also turned to the mana screen, and a pleased smile appeared on his lips.
’It’s Meirin!’
She had reached the front of the Kizen campus, among the top ten. All that was left was the battle with that old Priest.

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